Draft device.



T. S. MOFFETT.

DRAFT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21. 1909.

Patented Sept 27, 1910.

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T. S. MOFPETT.

DRAFT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1909.

9'?1,393-, Patented Sept. 27,1910.

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THOMAS S. IVIOFFETT, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

DRAFT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

Application filed. September 21, 1909. Serial No. 518,802.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, THOMAS S. Morrn'rr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Devices, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention is an equalizer hitch for a large number of horses, inwhich the parts are so arranged that any one horse may slacken up orneglect its .work, without throwing the whole hitch out of line, and itconsists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts to behereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the drawingshereto annexed forming a part of this specification, in which drawings-Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 an edge view of a portion of thedevice. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modification, and Fig. l an edge viewthereof. Fig. 5 is a detail of the inner ends of the levers hereinafterreferred to. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the pulley member.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 6 denotes a pair ofspaced,substantially circular plates between which are pivotally mountedtwo levers 7 extending outwardly therefrom in opposite directions. Inthe plates, near opposite edges thereof, are holes 8 to receive pins 9,whereby the pivotal support of the levers is had, each lever having aseries of holes, through one of which the pin is adapted to be passed,whereby the necessary adjustment of the pivots may be made.

Each lever carries at its outer end a swin gletree 10, and at the innerends of the levers are eyes 11. To each eye is connected a short chain12. ()ne of these chains is connected to one end of an arcuate bar 13,and the other chain is connected to the other end of said bar.

To the bar 13 is connected a hook 14 having a forked shank between thebranches of which the bar is received, and between said branches isjournaled a roller 15. The roller engages the inner edge of the bar.

The hook 14 is connected by means of a link 16 and a cable 17 or otherflexible device, to another draft device similar to the one justdescribed. A number of such draft devices are connected in series inthis manner, one ahead of the other, the invention being moreparticularly designed for traveling threshers or other farm machineryrequiring a large number of draft animals. At the rear ends of theplates (3 are eyes for attachment of the flexible connections.

Fig. 1 shows the position which the parts assume when one of the horsesslackens up. The lever to which said horse is connected then swingsrearwardly, and the companion lever swings forwardly, the bar 13 slidingover the roller 15, and accommodating itself to the swing of the levers.Inasmuch as the support for these two levers is flexibly connected tothe lever supports of the draft devices in front and to the rear of theone mentioned, said front and rear devices are not affected by the saidswinging movement of the levers, and the whole hitch is therefore notthrown out of line. When the lagging horse resumes the pull, the leversstraighten out to their normal position.

The length of the arcuate member determines the extent to which thelevers 7 can swing, the pulley coming to a stop when arriving at the endof the member, and thus preventing the lagging animal from dropping toofar behind.

Fig. 1 shows an arrangement for two horses, and Fig. 3 an arrangementfor four horses walking abreast. In the last-mentioned arrangement thetwo levers are indicated at 18, they being pivotally mounted between twospaced bars or plates 19, from which they extend laterally in oppositedirections. The levers are adjustably connected to the plates as before,and they carry swingletrees 20 at their outer ends, which are adjustably connected thereto. The inner ends of the levers are connected toan arcuate member 21 in the same manner as the levers 7, to which memberis connected a pulley 22 as before, carrying a doubletree 23, to theends of which are connected swingletrees 24-, which are in alinementwith the swingletrees 20, so that the four horses may walk abreast.

I claim:

A draft device comprising a support consisting of spaced plates, a pairof oppositely extending levers pivotally mounted between the plates, thelevers and plates having registering openings, pins passing through saidopenings whereby the pivotal supports of the lovers are had, said levershaving a plurality of openings to permit adjustment of the pivots, drafttrees connected to the outer ends of the levers, a rigid arcnate member,a flexible connection between the ends of said member and the inner endsof the respective levers, said connection extending between theaforesaid plates, a pulley mounted on the arcuate member and slidablethereon, the ends of the arcuate member serving as stops to limit thesliding movement of the pulley, and determining the extent of the swingof the levers, and a draft device con 10 nected to the pulley.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS S. MOFFETT.

\Vitnesses H. E. SMITH, NETTIE KING.

